Shell reloaders



May 26, 1964 R. J. LEE

SHELL RELOADERS Filed Feb. 13, 1963 MT n ll-lllullllll. 1

FIG.4

FIGZ':

PIC-3.5

INVENTOR Richard J. Lee

Attorneys FIG.2

.United States Patent Ofiice 3,134,293 Patented May 26, 1964 3,134,293 SHELL RELOADERS Richard J. Lee, RR. 2, Hartford, Wis. Filed Feb. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 258,187 Claims. (Cl. 8624) I This invention relates to improvements in shell reloaders, and more particularly to an improved reloading apparatus for center-firing cartridges.

The reloading of rifle and handgun cartridges has be come increasingly popular with shooters in recent years because of the rising cost of ammunition. In this respect, there is no reasonable limit to the number of times an ordinary brass cartridge case can be reloaded and re-used,

and every reloading effects a substantial cost saving the shooter. :Moreover, .the shells can be reloaded to the hunters own specifications to provide the best results for his intended use, thus improving his shooting performance.

Numerous reloading devices and kits have been designed in the past, but unfortunately all of said prior reloaders are relatively expensive. Moreover, many of the rel'oaders presently on the market arecomplex and difiicult to use, and they require considerable workspace. Withthe se considerations in mind, the principal objects oflthe present invention are to provide an improved reloading tool set for cartridges which is simple and convenient to use, and which is substantially lower in cost than conventional reloaders.

Q A morelspecific object of the present invention is to provide animproved reloading kit or set having a minimum of components, several of which are designed to perform more than one function, thus not only simplify- .ing the reloading operation, but substantially reducing'the cost of the apparatus.

"A further object of the invention is to provide animproved reloading apparatus for cartridges, as described, whichiapparatus is so designed that it is virtually impossible. to accidentally detonate the powder charge during the reloading operation.

Still further objects of the present'invention are to providea cartridge reloader which is durable and will not wear out through normal use, which requires relatively little workspace, which forms a small, compact kit which can be easily stored'away when not in use, and which im- 7 partszinall of the views: a

s; .FIG. .1 is a sectional view of thecombination decapper and shell-retracting anvil utilized in the present invention, 'showinganf empty cartridge case mounted thereon, and with tlie decapper punch inserted therein;

FIGi Z is an exploded sectional view showing the interfitting resizing sleeve and shell guide members with a shell mounted therein, and showing the priming rod utilized in the invention} FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the resizing sleeve and shell guide members mounted on the shell-retracting anvil, and with the priming rod inserted therein;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the apparatus showing the bullet about to be seated in the cartridge; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the novel, combination primer anvil and bullet-seating tool characterizing the present apparatus.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. .1 of the drawing, it will be seen that the reloading apparatus comprising the present invention includes a cylindrical base member 14 having a flat bottom surface and a top face with a depressed circular chamber and seat 15 formed therein. As will be hereinafter described, said member 14 is designed to functionboth as a decapper anvil, during the removal of the spent primer from the cartridge to be reloaded, and as a shell-retracting anvil during the reloading operation. Opening in said anvil upper seat 15 is a: center bore 17 which extends downwardly to' form a smaller, second seat 16 therebelow, and communicating with said bore 17 is a smaller, concentric bore 18 extending through to the bottom surface of said anvil. Said second annular shoulder or seat 16 is of a diameter to receive the base end of an upright cartridge, and the smaller bore 18 is of sufficient size to permit a cartridge primer to fall therethrough. Cartridges of the type herein concerned, and as will be seen in FIG. 1, ordinarily consist of an elongated, cylindrical brass case 10 having a narrower neck portion 11, and formed in the base end of said cartridge case is a bore 12 in which the detonator cap or primer (not shown) is fitted.

With reference still to FIG. I, in accordance with the present invention an elongated rod or decapper punch 20 is adapted to be inserted into the mouth of a cartridge case 10 seated on the anvil 14, and to project downwardly the length ofsaid cartridge. The lower end-of said decapper punch is provided with an integral depending pin 21 which is designed to fit into and'through the primer bore 12.

With reference now to FIGS. 2 to 4 of the drawing, a

cylindrical shell guide 23 is designed to be removablymounted on the upper seat 15 in the anvil 14, said shell guide having a longitudinal bore 24 therethrough within which a cartridge may be inserted, as shown. Said shell guide bore is provided with an enlarged, threaded upper end portion 24', and removably threaded therein is a cylindrical, externally threaded resizing die or sleeve 26. 'The latter member is provided with a longitudinal bore 27 determined distance above said resizing sleeve, the pur-- An elongated pose of which will be hereinafter seen. priming rod29 is adapted to be removably inserted into said registering resizing sleeve and shell guide bores 24 and27, and "to? extend downwardly therethrough- With reference now to FIGS. 4 and 5,.the present reloading apparatus also includes a novel member 34 which is designed to function both as an anvil during the instala small coil spring 37 which is designed to removably hold a conventional primer 13 (FIG. Permanently mounted in and projecting transversely from said member 34 is an elongated handle 33, and formed in the outer end of said handle is an inwardly tapered longitudinal bore 39 which is of a size and shape to fit snugly on the nose end of abullet 41 (FIG. 4). V

In the use of the improved and simplified cartridge reloader comprising the present invention, the first step is the removal of the spent primer from the cartridge case to be reloaded. With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the empty cartridge 15) is seated on the combination the elongated decapper punch 2% is inserted into the top of said cartridge. Said punch is projected downwardly until the pin 21 on the loweriend thereof is positioned adjacent the primer bore 12 in the cartridge base, and then, using a common hammer to strike the upper, projecting end of the punch, said pin is driven downwardly into said bore to push the primer out, said spent primer falling through the bore 18 in the anvil. With respect to the use of a hammer in connection with the present reloading apparatus, incidentally, this is the only required implement which is not a component of and supplied With the set, since it is a common household tool. The use of a common hammer to supply the necessary mechanical force in the various operational steps is one of the ad-- vantageous features of the invention, since iteliminates the necessity for a large, relatively expensive die press such as are used with many conventional cartridge re loaders.

The next step is to resize and reform the'upper, neck portion 13. of the cartridge case to its original specifications so that it 'will properly receive'a new bullet, said neck having been expanded and deformed in the prior firing of the cartridge. is inserted into the lower end of the interconnected shell guide and resizing sleeve members 23 and 26, and, again using a hammer, said cartridge is driven into said shell guide until the base end of said cartridge is flush with the lower end of said shell guide. As will be seen in FIG. 2,1 when the cartridge is thus fully inserted within said inter 7 (FIG. 5) is positioned within the coil spring 37 on the combination primer-seating anvil and bullet-seating tool 34. The interconnected sleeveand guide members 26 and 23,within which the empty cartridge has been inserted, as'described, is then positioned adjacent the anvil seat 35,-said spring 37 holding the new primer in alignment with the cartridge primer bore '12. The aforemenv-tion'ed priming rod 29 is then inserted into the top of the resizing sleeve and projected downwardly into the cartridge until it bears against the bottom thereof. Using a hammer to strike the, upper end of said priming rod, the

assemblage is driven downwardly. onto said anvil 34,

with the result that the new primer 13 is forced upwardly into the cartridge primer bore, said spring 37 being compressed by'the downwardly-moving cartridge to disengage said primer therefrom, while'said spring simultaneously 2t) decapper and shell-retracting anvil 14, as shown, and V d e I next step is the removal of the cartridge from the resizing sleeve, the neck portion 11 of said cartridge having been tightly wedged into said sleeve to reform the same, as

When the cartridge has been freed from the resizing die, as described, the priming rod 29 may bemanually removed from the assemblage and a measured amount of powder poured into the top end of said resizing sleeve and into the empty cartridge, the flared upper end portion of said sleeve bore functioning as a funnel to facilitate the pouring operation. When a desired amount of powder'has been deposited in the cartridge, the bullet 41 (FIG. 4) may be dropped through said sleeve bore to a position on top of said cartridge.

The aforementioned locking ring is then turned to position the same as desired on the resizing sleeve, which distance will be determined from experience depending upon the length of the cartridges and the bullets being seated therein, as will be seen, and which setting may be left untouched for successive similar cartridges after said ring has been initially adjusted. .The bullet-seating col To accomplish this, said case 10 p guides the primer into said cartridge bore. i

With the new primer thus mounted in the cartridge, the

, lar 31 is next threaded downwardly on said resizing sleeve until it abuts said locking ring, said collar projecting upwardly beyond the top of said sleeve a desired distance as determined by thesetting of said ring. The anvil member 34 is then positioned with its elongated handle portion 33 inserted into the. top of the resizing sleeve bore 27. As appears'in FIG. 4, when said handle 38 is projected downwardly into the sleeve bore 27, the lower end of .said handle engages the nose of the bullet 41 seated on ,the upper end of the cartridge, said handle end having a bore 39 conforming generally to the shape of said bullet, as described. Again using the hammer, a few blows on said anvil will cause the bullet to be driven downwardly into firm engagement within the cartridge neck portion 11,

the collar 31 forming a stop to prevent said bullet from being driven too far into the cartridge. The reloading operation is thus completed, and to remove the reloaded cartridge it is merely necessary to lift'the shell guide from the anvil 14 and to manually grasp and. pull outwardly on the projecting base end of said cartridge.

One of the important features of the present reloading apparatus is that the cartridge must be removed from the anvil 34 and transferred to the anvil 14 before the powder and bullet can be mounted therein. Thus, with the cartridge seated on said anvil 14, the live primer 13 is always positioned immediately above the anvil bore 18, and is not in contact with said metal anvil. The result is that the'hammer blows required to separate the cartridge from the resizing die, and to seat the bullet in the cartridge neck, do not create any pressure on the primer, and there is no possibility of said primer being accidentally detonated thereby. 1

A further important advantageous feature of the 'prerially to the cost'of the reloader, but they are necessarily large, and require considerable space. both for operation and storage.

the other hand, the reloading operation can be performed in any convenient location, including the kitchen or dining room of 'a house, and when not in use, the/entire set can be readily stored away in a small, compact space. V From'the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a novel reloadingapparatus'for center- With the present simplified apparatus, on'

firingcartridges which is simple and safe in use, which does not require any large, unwieldy equipment, and which apparatus includes a minimum number of components, thus making it substantially less expensive to manufacture than conventional reloaders. Moreover, the

present apparatus is rugged and durable, and will not wear out through normal use. a

It is to be understood, of course, that the present invention is not to be limited or confined to an apparatus exactly'as illustrated and hereinabove described. It is contemplated that various modifications or changes may be made therein, and it is intended to include herein not only the illustrated embodiment of the invention, but also, any and all changes and modifications therein as come within the spirit of said invention, and within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A cartridge reloading apparatus, comprising: a first anvil; means for removing the primer from a used cartridge seated on said anvil by mechanical force; a shell guide adapted to receive a used cartridge therein; a resizing die in the upper end of said shell guide adapted to wedgingly receive the upper, neck portion of a cartridge case driven upwardly therein by mechanical force; a second anvil; means on said second anvil'for removably V retaining a primer thereon and for guiding said primer into the primer bore of a cartridge in said shell guide when the latter member is urged downwardly against said second anvil by mechanical force, the engagement of said cartridge and shell guide against said second anvil causing said primer to be fully inserted in the primer bore and with its end flush with the end of the cartridge; means for retracting the cartridge neck from said resizing die, by mechanical force, while said shell guide and die members are seated on said first anvil, and before a bullet is insertedinto said cartridge neck; and an elongated bullet-seating tool projecting from said second anvil, said tool being adapted to be inserted into and to extend downwardly in said resizing die to engage a bullet posi-' tioned on the upper end of a cartridge in said shell guide while the latter member is seated on said first anvil, and

' to force said bullet downwardly into a seated position within the neck of said cartridge in response to downward mechanical force on said second anvil.

means on said second anvil for removably retaining a primer thereon and for guiding said primer into the primer bore of a cartridge in said shell guide when the latter member is urged downwardly against said second anvil by mechanical force, the engagement of said cartridge and shell guide against said second anvil causing said primerto be fully inserted in the primer bore and with its end flush with the end of the cartridge; means for retracting the cartridge neck from said resizing sleeve,

by mechanical force, while said shell guide and sleeve members are seated on said first anvil, and before a bullet is inserted into said cartridge neck; and an elongated bullet-seating tool projecting from said second anvil, said. tool being adapted to be inserted into and to extend downwardly in said resizing sleeve to engage a bullet positioned on the upper end of a cartridge in said shell guide while the latter member is seated on said first r anvil, and to force said bullet downwardly into a seated position within the neck of said cartridge in response to downward mechanical force onsaid second anvil.

- 3. A cartridge reloading apparatus, comprising: a first anvil; means for removing the primer from a used cartridge seated on said anvil by mechanical force; a shell guide having a bore therethrough adapted to receive a used cartridge therein, the upper end portion of said bore beingthreaded; a resizing sleeve threaded into the upper end of said shell guide and adapted, to wedgingly receive the upper, neck portion of a cartridge case driven upwardly therein by mechanical force; a second anvil; means on saidsecond anvil for removably retaining a primer thereon and for guiding saidprimer into" the primer bore of a cartridge in said shell guide when the latter member is urged downwardly against said second anvil by mechanical force, the engagement of said cartridge and shell guide against said second anvil causing said primer to be fully inserted in the primer bore and with its end flush with'the end of the cartridge; means for retracting thecartridge neck from said resizing'sleeve, by mechanical force, while said shell guide and sleeve members are'seated on said first anvil, and before a bullet is inserted into said cartridge neck; and an elongated handle projecting from said second anvil, said handle being adapted to be inserted into and to extend downwardly in said resizing sleeve to engage a bullet positioned on the upper end of a cartridge in said shell guide while the latter member is seated on said first anvil, and to force said bullet downwardly into a seated position within the neck of said cartridge in response to down ward mechanical force on said second anvil, the lower end of said handle having a tapered longitudinal bore adapted to fit on the nose of said bullet.

4. A cartridge reloading apparatus, comprising: a first anvil member having an upwardly-facing first seat formed therein, there being a central bore opening in said seat and forming a concentric, second upwardly-facing seat of smaller diameter therebelow adapted to removably receive the base of an upright cartridge case, and there being a second, smaller diameter bore communicating with said central bore and extending through said anvil, said second bore being of a larger diameter than a cartridge primer; means for removing the primer from a used cartridge seated on said anvil by mechanical force; a cylindrical shell guide adapted to be removably mounted in an upright position on said anvil first seat, said shell guide having a longitudinal bore therethrough adapted to receive a used cartridge therein; a cylindrical, externally threaded resizing sleeve removably mounted in the upper end of said shell guide, said sleeve being of a size to forcibly wedgingly receive the upper, neck portion of a cartridge case driven upwardly therein by mechanical force; a vertically-adjustable stop collar threaded onto and projecting upwardly from 'said resizing sleeve; a second anvil having an upwardly-facing seat therein adapted to receive the lower end of said upright shell guide member; a coil spring on said second anvil adapted to removably retain a new cartridge primer, and to guide said primer into the primer bore of a cartridge in said shell guide whenthe latter member is urged downwardly against said second anvil by mechanical force; means for retracting the cartridge neck from said resizing sleeve, by mechanical force, while said shell guide and sleeve members are seated on said first anvil; and an elongated, cylindrical handle projecting from said second anvil, said handle being adapted to be inserted into and to extend downwardly in said resizing sleeve to engage a bullet positioned on the upper end of a cartridge in said shell guide while the latter is seated on said first anvil, and to force said bullet downwardly into a seated position within the neck of said cartridge in response to downward mechanical force on said second anvil, said stop collar limiting the downward movement of said second anvil and handle.

5. A cartridge reloading apparatus comprising: a first anvil having a seat thereon, there being a bore through said anvil communicating with said seat, said bore being adapted to register with, and being of larger diameter than the primer bore in a cartridge seated on said anvil; punch means for removing the primer from the base of a used cartridge seated on said anvil; a cylindrical shell guide adapted to be removably mounted in an upright position on said anvil, said shell guide being adapted-to have a used cartridge inserted therein; a resizing sleeve on the upper end, of said shell guide, said sleeve being of a size to forcibly wedgingly receive the upper neck portion of a cartridge case; stop means vertically-adjustably mounted on said resizing sleeve; a second anvil having,

a seat thereon adapted to receivethe lower ,endof said upright shell guide member; resilient meanson said second anvil adapted to releasably retain-a new cartridge primer, and to hold said primer in alignment with the primer bore of a cartridge'mounted in said'shell guide when the latter is urged downwardly against said second anvil; means for retracting a cartridge neck from said resizing sleeve while said shell guide and sleeve members are seated on said first anvil; and an elongated handle on said second anvil adapted to be inserted into said resizing sleeve to engage a bulletpositioned on the upper end of a cartridge in said shell guiderwhile the latter is seated on said first anvil, and to force said bullet downwardly into a seated position within the neck of said cartridge, said stop means limiting the downward movement of said second anvil and bullet-seating handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

5. A CARTRIDGE RELOADING APPARATUS COMPRISING: A FIRST ANVIL HAVING A SEAT THEREON, THERE BEING A BORE THROUGH SAID ANVIL COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SEAT, SAID BORE BEING ADAPTED TO REGISTER WITH, AND BEING OF LARGER DIAMETER THAN THE PRIMER BORE IN A CARTRIDGE SEATED ON SAID ANVIL; PUNCH MEANS FOR REMOVING THE PRIMER FROM THE BASE OF A USED CARTRIDGE SEATED ON SAID ANVIL; A CYLINDRICAL SHELL GUIDE ADAPTED TO BE REMOVABLY MOUNTED IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION ON SAID ANVIL, SAID SHELL GUIDE BEING ADAPTED TO HAVE A USED CARTRIDGE INSERTED THEREIN; A RESIZING SLEEVE ON THE UPPER END OF SAID SHELL GUIDE, SAID SLEEVE BEING OF A SIZE TO FORCIBLY WEDGINGLY RECEIVE THE UPPER NECK PORTION OF A CARTRIDGE CASE; STOP MEANS VERTICALLY-ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID RESIZING SLEEVE; A SECOND ANVIL HAVING A SEAT THEREON ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE LOWER END OF SAID UPRIGHT SHELL GUIDE MEMBER; RESILIENT MEANS ON SAID SEC- 